1. Matchmaking
2. Betrothal
3. Marriage
4. Introduction of the bride to the new home
5. Ransom ceremony and bride theft
6. Bride and groom's outfits
7. Wedding feast

Matchmaking

For several centuries now, any wedding in Georgia begins with this ancient tradition. The groom comes to the bride's house and asks for the blessing of her parents. Matchmaking is usually prepared in advance — this is one of the most important and responsible parts of the wedding, because if the bride's parents are against it, the wedding will not take place.

The best matchmakers rush to the bride's house, where they begin to talk about the best qualities of the groom, to praise the guy in front of the bride's parents, as if “selling” him for a husband. They do not forget to tell about the financial success of the young man, pointing out that he is an ideal candidate for their daughter. The girl's happy parents give their consent to the marriage.

And so, the culprit of the celebration comes out — the bride. Now the word remains with her. If she gives her consent, then in a few days the groom himself appears before the family of the chosen one.

Betrothal

The engagement ceremony is prepared in advance and in the most thorough way. The groom collects a decent luggage of gifts and together with his parents goes to the bride's house. And the bride's family is already waiting for guests with a richly laid table, good wine, which, as a rule, is stocked up in advance. After all, the wine should not end prematurely, no guest should be offended. The guests are seated at the table, the bride and groom next to each other. They begin to say toasts. The first, by right, toast is pronounced by the groom's father, expressing his joy in the upcoming union of the two families.

After a while, another ancient rite is performed - nishnoba. The groom presents his future wife with an engagement necklace. It is often one of the most important family heirlooms and is passed down from generation to generation.

The guests present a lot of gifts to the bride and groom, among them there must be bouquets of various beautiful flowers, traditional Georgian alcoholic beverages and spices.

When all the traditions and rituals of betrothal are observed, parents begin to discuss financial issues and organizational issues. According to the rules, all expenses for the wedding and events are paid by the groom's side.

Marriage

According to Georgian traditions, the newlyweds should get married in a church. This rite is mandatory — the newlyweds give each other oaths of allegiance before the Lord. The witnesses of the celebration are chosen very carefully. These should be people who are close not only to the bride and groom, but also to their relatives.

Having received the church blessing, the newlyweds pass under an arch of daggers, which is formed by the groom's friends. Such an arch is considered a symbol of the protection of a young family and an unspoken vow of the participants of the ceremony to always come to the rescue. Next, the newlyweds go to the registry office, where they register their marriage and officially become husband and wife.

Introduction of the bride to the new home

According to the rules of the Georgian family, a young wife leaves her parents' house and enters her husband's house. Before entering the new house, the girl must break the plates, which symbolizes happiness in married life. The groom's mother counts the large fragments. Legend has it that it is an odd number of fragments that will bring happiness and good luck to the family. The groom releases a bird into the sky, necessarily with white plumage. The white color is a symbol of the beginning of a new life and the purity of the feelings of the newlyweds. The bride and groom enter the house. Here the rituals for the young wife begin:

The girl is obliged to touch the cauldron — the symbol of the hearth, go around three circles around the pot of oil installed by relatives and moisten her lips with honey before kissing her beloved so that her speeches are sweet. A special feature at a Georgian wedding is the transfer of the ring to the bride. The groom drops the ring into a glass of wine. The newlyweds begin to drink from the glass in turn to the bottom, after which the ring is put on the bride's finger.

Guests scatter cereal grains, calling for fertility for the newly—made wife, and monetary well-being for the new family. At this moment, it is customary to give newlyweds jewelry made of wood, symbolizing the Tree of Life.

Ransom ceremony and bride theft

The bride price ceremony in Georgia takes place in different ways, depending on the preferences of the family. Not always a ransom implies that the groom once again has to show his wealth and give part of it to the bride's parents. The ransom is a formality that carries an entertaining character and is an occasion to prove once again to the bride that the groom loves her and wants to be with her. Another distinctive tradition that is rarely found at modern weddings in Georgia is the theft of the bride.

If we delve into the history, we find out that the bride was stolen in order to then come to her parents to woo. The theft was a kind of statement by the groom that he wanted to marry his beloved. It wasn't always in the girl's best interests. But often, the couple agreed with each other in advance, thus telling contradicting parents about their love. Currently, young people get to know each other in everyday life and consciously approach this step, having their own desire to get married. The ceremony of stealing the bride can be found only in Georgian villages.

Bride and groom's outfits

The traditional outfits of Georgian brides are famous throughout Europe. Dressed according to the Georgian canons, the bride will not be able not to attract attention to herself. The main colors when choosing a dress are black and white. The outfit consists of two parts. The lower part of the decoration is a shirt with a collar, which symbolizes modesty and chastity of the bride.

Over her shirt, the girl puts on a luxurious dress embroidered with beautiful patterns, a necklace or a pearl thread flaunts around her neck. A red belt is tied around the bride's waist — an important detail of the wedding dress. The bride's hairstyle is handled by her friends. Usually, when braiding a braid, they put a headdress with a veil on the bride.

A man's wedding clothes are also distinguished by their stateliness and luxury. It is called chohu. The groom dresses in a white shirt with a high collar and an expensively embroidered cape with a satin notch. There is a decoration on the belt, and leather boots on the feet. It is worth noting that the bride's outfit is usually bought by the groom. And she, in turn, personally chooses choha for her future husband.

Wedding feast

You won't get bored at a Georgian wedding. Songs and dances sound mixed with the clink of dishes and thoughtful toasts to the young. There is no such profession as toastmaster in Georgia. Everyone there knows how to have fun and how to amuse people. But, in order for the guests not to scatter in groups, they choose a person familiar from both the groom and the bride, and instruct him to control the fun at the celebration.

There are a lot of guests at Georgian weddings. Each of the parties is obliged to invite all their relatives - this is another ancient tradition. Failure to comply with it entails a deep resentment of the newlyweds. The table should be large, filled with traditional Georgian dishes, the main of which is soup, as well as tolma, cheese, fruit and so on. There should be a lot of cognac and wine to be enough for all the guests.

There is another custom at the wedding — cutting the wedding cake. The bride and groom cut it together, holding one knife at the same time. The groom presents the first piece to the most respected guest at the celebration, expressing respect for his presence.

Such interesting traditions and rituals are present at the national Georgian wedding. Unfortunately, today the views and preferences of Georgian society differ from the views of their ancestors. Many traditions are kept only in the memory of the adult half of the population. But those rituals that are applicable in modern life continue to exist at Georgian weddings. If you have the opportunity to visit one of them, we advise you to definitely visit this large-scale, beautiful and fun event.